Last year, Marvel launched a Star Wars: Revelations one-shot that fleshed out the corners of a galaxy far, far away while sowing the seeds for upcoming titles. Those seeds have now born fruit – especially where the Dark Droids storyline is concerned – and now Star Wars: Revelations #1 is here to set up next year’s Star Wars stories. Does lightning strike twice? The answer is…complicated.
Like its predecessor, Star Wars: Revelations (2023) #1 consists of seven stories:
- “A Trick of the Mind” is written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Andrea De Vito, and colored by Rachelle Rosenberg.
- “Tall Tales” is written by Alyssa Wong, illustrated by David Baldeon, and colored by Jay David Ramos.
- “Stolen Hope” focuses on Jango Fett; it’s written by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Will Sliney and colored by Nolan Woodard.
- “Showdown At Ocean’s Deep” features Mace Windu; it’s written by Marc Bernardin, illustrated by ChrisCross and colored by Andrew Dalhouse.
- “Tool of the Empire” stars Darth Vader; it’s written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Salvador Larroca, and colored by Woodard.
- “All The Republic” takes place during the High Republic era; it’s written by Cavan Scott, illustrated by Marika Cresta, and colored by Chris Sotomayor.
- Finally, “Duel of the Reprobates” is written by Marc Guggenheim, illustrated by Salva Espin, and colored by Israel Silva.
While there’s a wide variety of stories and eras covered in Star Wars: Revelations #1, what’s missing is any form of connective tissue. The previous one-shot handled this by utilizing a framing device where Vader encountered a mysterious being that showed him flashes of past, present and future; as it stands, this feels like a grab bag of stories. “A Trick of the Mind”, “Tall Tales” and “Tool of the Empire” mostly depend on readers having caught up on various Star Wars titles – a disadvantage that the previous Revelations one-shot didn’t share.
But there is gold to be found in the one-shot. That gold comes in the form of “Showdown At Ocean’s Deep” and “All The Republic”; both stories showcase the full power of a Jedi. In the former story, Bernardin has plenty of fun with the concept of Windu breaking into an underwater prison while ChrisCross’ art delivers the intense, flashy lightsaber fights that were a hallmark of the Star Wars prequels. “All The Republic” digs into how the Jedi can inspire others, thanks to Scott’s simple yet impactful script and Cresta’s powerful illustrations – which feature some of the best lightsaber combat outside of film/TV.
Star Wars: Revelations #1 is somewhat of a mixed bag, but sets the stage for next year’s Star Wars comics. If this continues into next year, hopefully the creatives present a stronger, more unified special that touches on all eras of Star Wars.
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